Justine: An Unjust Characterization In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Justine: An Unjust Characterization
The women in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein do not seem to hold a very significant place in the novel. They are not given meaningful lines and we do not get to a lot of their back story. In fact, we not seem to know some of them at all, for example, Mrs. Saville, Walton’s sister (who happens to be the first female in the novel). She is basically a non-entity, only serving as a recipient of her brother’s letters. Generally speaking, Shelley’s female characters seem to be weak or live a short life. Victor’s mother is not long in the picture and she is described as an “indulgent” parent. The main female character, Elizabeth is very passive, and seems to bend to Victor’s will and timeline. Indeed, Victor does …show more content…
She was her father’s favorite and when he died her mother, for some reason, did not treat her very well. Victor’s mother saw this and decided to take Justine in as a servant when she was twelve years old. Right away we see that Justine is mistreated by her own mother and then forced to be a servant to the Frankensteins at a young age. Clearly, the world she lived in was not fair, but this does not necessarily make her a weak character. Elizabeth describes Justine as “the most grateful little creature in the world…she thought her [Mrs. Frankenstein] the model of all excellence, and endeavored to imitate her phraseology and manners” (Shelley, 1818/2008, p.46). Justine was grateful to live with the Frankensteins and apparently adored Mrs. …show more content…
Frankenstein (Alphonse) says “…I had rather have been for ever ignorant than have discovered so much depravity and ingratitude in one I valued so highly” (Shelley, 1818/2008, p.59). Even though at this point, Alphonse believes she might be guilty, we can see that he did once think highly of Justine, another testament to her kind character and good will to the family. Alphonse goes on to tell Elizabeth, “If she [Justine] is, as you believe, innocent, rely on the justice of our judges, and the activity with which I shall prevent the slightest shadow of partiality”(Shelley, 1818/2008, p.60-61). Alphonse is convinced that justice will prevail if Justine is innocent; he even thinks that he can influence the judge somehow. But this is not how the real world works. There is no such thing as justice for Justine, a poor woman in the nineteenth century who is accused of such a heinous
The women in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein do not seem to hold a very significant place in the novel. They are not given meaningful lines and we do not get to a lot of their back story. In fact, we not seem to know some of them at all, for example, Mrs. Saville, Walton’s sister (who happens to be the first female in the novel). She is basically a non-entity, only serving as a recipient of her brother’s letters. Generally speaking, Shelley’s female characters seem to be weak or live a short life. Victor’s mother is not long in the picture and she is described as an “indulgent” parent. The main female character, Elizabeth is very passive, and seems to bend to Victor’s will and timeline. Indeed, Victor does …show more content…
She was her father’s favorite and when he died her mother, for some reason, did not treat her very well. Victor’s mother saw this and decided to take Justine in as a servant when she was twelve years old. Right away we see that Justine is mistreated by her own mother and then forced to be a servant to the Frankensteins at a young age. Clearly, the world she lived in was not fair, but this does not necessarily make her a weak character. Elizabeth describes Justine as “the most grateful little creature in the world…she thought her [Mrs. Frankenstein] the model of all excellence, and endeavored to imitate her phraseology and manners” (Shelley, 1818/2008, p.46). Justine was grateful to live with the Frankensteins and apparently adored Mrs. …show more content…
Frankenstein (Alphonse) says “…I had rather have been for ever ignorant than have discovered so much depravity and ingratitude in one I valued so highly” (Shelley, 1818/2008, p.59). Even though at this point, Alphonse believes she might be guilty, we can see that he did once think highly of Justine, another testament to her kind character and good will to the family. Alphonse goes on to tell Elizabeth, “If she [Justine] is, as you believe, innocent, rely on the justice of our judges, and the activity with which I shall prevent the slightest shadow of partiality”(Shelley, 1818/2008, p.60-61). Alphonse is convinced that justice will prevail if Justine is innocent; he even thinks that he can influence the judge somehow. But this is not how the real world works. There is no such thing as justice for Justine, a poor woman in the nineteenth century who is accused of such a heinous